IT'S fair to say that we expected Hull to play better than they had previously, but Saturday was a bit of a shock to the system.

I think we did well enough for the first 20 minutes or so until we conceded. Once they scored, they got the upper hand - it gave them confidence, and they improved their game by about 20 per cent. We didn't really cope with it. I suppose, after that initial period, that if we had kept them quiet, and maybe nicked a goal, it could have been a lot different.

The most disappointing part for us was that after their first goal went in there was no real way we were going to get back into it. It's happened so many times in the past, especially when it's a high profile manager like that. It's different when the team hasn't got a strong squad, but because of the quality Hull have got, after giving Michael Branch his debut as well, they made it very hard for us.

The atmosphere was quite intimidating. It's nothing that most of the players aren't used to, but you could see that the atmosphere was helping Hull. Nine thousand fans getting behind you and cheering is bound to have a positive impact.

In hindsight, it was probably the worst time to play Hull. A manager hadn't been installed at the time of doing my column last week and, had it stayed that way, their lack of leadership might have gone in our favour. But as soon as the new manager was announced, I knew it would get everyone fired up.

I had a few dealings with Peter Taylor during my time with Port Vale. He came to do a few training sessions, and even then he was a great motivator of players. He's got a great track record and he is proven at this level. He's one of those managers who can bring the best out of players.

As soon as the appointment was made we knew it wasn't going to be an easy game. But the gaffer spoke to us before the game and made sure we understood the scenario. There were a lot of excuses we could have used that we didn't want to use, but that's exactly what I'm doing now.

I'm sure everyone will be looking over their shoulders in the league now because, after their poor start to the season, things are sure to come good for Hull.

We just have to concentrate on ourselves now and get last week's defeat out of our system in preparation for this afternoon's game against Scunthorpe at Spotland. They too have a number of good players, including Peter Beagrie who had a good season last year and has started quite well this season. It will be another tough game, but we've prepared hard for it, and it's important we get on another run.

Finally, I was gutted to see that our former manager Steve Parkin had been sacked by Barnsley. The timing of him leaving Dale was unfortunate, but he left with the players good wishes. He's a very strong character and I'm sure he will bounce back on to bigger and better things.